Trump approval rating hits new low in poll

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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: US President Donald Trump listens to remarks from President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) during a joint statement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump and Erdogan face the issue of working out cooperation in the fight against terrorism as Turkey objects to the US arming of Kurdish forces in Syria. (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

By
Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

President Donald Trump’s approval rating dipped to a new low after his firing last week of FBI director James Comey, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Based on a survey of about 2,000 people, the Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 42 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing. Half of registered voters disapprove.

According to Politico, “Trump’s 42 percent approval rating is his lowest yet in Politico/Morning Consult’s weekly survey, which has tended to show more positive results for Trump than most other public polls.”

The poll was conducted between Friday and Sunday, after Comey's dismissal but before reports surfaced that Trump revealed highly classified information during a meeting last week with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump attempted to influence the FBI investigation into Russian ties to the Trump campaign after former national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign for lying about his contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

The numbers reported Wednesday are slightly lower than those in a previous Politico/Morning Consult poll, conducted May 9 to 11. Then, 46 percent of voters said they approved of the job Trump was doing while 47 percent disapproved.

"President Trump's approval has fallen from 51 percent in mid-April to 42 percent today," Morning Consult co-founder and chief research officer Kyle Dropp told Politico. "A less reported-on trend is the waning enthusiasm for Trump in his base. When Trump took office, 56 percent of his voters strongly approved of his job performance. Today that number stands at 42 percent."

Trump’s support remains stronger among GOP voters. Seventy-nine percent of Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing while 16 percent disapprove. The numbers were flipped for Democrats, who gave Trump a 15 percent approval rating. Seventy-nine percent of Democrats disapprove of the job Trump is doing.